The Competition
by Courtney Confunded
Summary: Spies, that's all they were intended to be. It began with Jesse following Shelby's orders, Rachel following Will's. They had intended to rip the other to shreds. What they had not intended was to fall in love.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **I've had this idea for quite some time now, and after getting my laptop, I decided I would start dedicating my free time to it, what with Winter Break just around the corner and everything. So, here it is, readers, I am back with more St. Berry to throw at you. And let me tell you, this is one of my favorite St. Berry plots to ever have crossed my mind, which is saying something because most of the time, I usually get pretty into them. For a while, at least. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy. I plan to spend a lot of time on this, and depending on the feedback, hope to actually finish it in the amount of time I want — meaning this is probably going to be about 25-30 chapters long, epilogue included. In that case, it's up to you to decide how it all works out.

**Note about the story: **This is beyond AU, in case you couldn't figure that out. Which means the timeline varies greatly from the show. The prologue takes place in the same time slot as the episode "Journey", and the story begins starting from "Hell-O". After the events of that episode, it is completely AU.

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**Prologue**

Rachel simply remembered the serious look in Mr. Schuester's eyes as he watched her dance across the stage. _You failed me, _they read, narrowing when she belted out the final line of the song. When she halted on the stage, a small smile formed on her lips, infinitesimal, really, but still in existence.

As her eyes grazed over the other faces in the crowd, one more set of eyes met hers; blue and narrowed, they read something far worse than disappointment.

Once the group was backstage, gathering their items from the dressing room, Rachel allowed herself a moment to gaze in the mirror, to stare at the monster looking back at her. Her eyes were no longer light and full of cheer, but they were now nearly pitch black and cold. Her lips were now a hard line and they had lost their hint of a pout, her smile no longer able to reach her soul. As for her personality, well she was no longer the real Rachel Berry, but someone much darker, someone who had no thought of anyone but them, someone who knew victory as if it were the blue veins trailing through her body.

"You've become one of them." The voice was very collected, almost warm, as it reached her ears.

She refused to turn around and face him. "I haven't become anything."

"Oh, please," he huffed. "You're lying to the wrong person, sweetheart. I've been through it; I've done the same thing to myself.

Rachel's glare intensified as she racked her brain for a proper, appropriate, mature response. Unfortunately, she could only think of harsh criticisms, comments that would not get her any further in her quest. _Damn quest_, she hissed at herself, _it's over, Rachel! No one is asking you to do anything. _True enough, after failing Will's task, everything had gone downhill. That, she realized, was when she had changed, when she had given in.

The silence between them had grown penetratingly sorrowful during Rachel's contemplation. For a moment, he hesitated, but he took a step forward in an attempt to ease the tension. Not a second later, his arms were grasping hers, and his face was just inches before her. She couldn't breathe — just his touch made her inhale a large breathe, and she was far too afraid to release it.

"What are you – "

"Don't," he interrupted. His eyes were glossy, on the verge of tears.

Somehow, she wanted so badly to break what little space remained between them. After all this time, she still yearned for him more than she yearned for fame and a winning trophy at Nationals. There was still something inside that reminded her how much she owed to him, how he was responsible for all of this. Not to mention he, too, had been asked to be a spy; to spy on her!

"St. James, we're on." Neither had noticed Quinn Fabray appear in the doorway, a single blonde eyebrow cocked high. When Jesse stepped to the side, she narrowed her tired green eyes at Rachel. Even from beneath her golden dress, the baby bump was more obvious than it had been last time the girls had seen one another. Oh, it had been nearly three months, hadn't it?

Before departing after her, Jesse managed one last look into the doorway as he mumbled, "I guess this is good-bye, Rachel."

She waited for him to leave, but he lingered on just a moment. Her heart broke just staring at him, and she opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.

"I loved you." And just as quickly as he had appeared, she was gone.

Rachel had failed. She had failed Mr. Schuester, she had failed Shelby, but worst of all, she had failed herself. No, instead of following orders and doing as she was supposed to, she had been weakened. She had done the worst possible thing.

She had fallen in love.

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_I'm a review whore — you know what to do, and how that magical little button works..._


	2. Not Like the Movies

**A/N: **Wow, thanks so, so, so much for the positive feedback. It pretty much means the world to me that you all took the time to review. Anyways, under most circumstances, I would give it a few days before posting again, but since last chapter was just the prologue, I thought I'd add more. Besides, I'm on Winter Break now, so I need to celebrate somehow, right? So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, too. And thank you again.

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**1. Not Like the Movies**

It was a Tuesday when they met — a lonely, depressing Tuesday. Rachel was positive her heart had been broken beyond repair. The glee club power couple had demolished right before her very eyes, and she had been left no say in the outcome. All of her hard work, all of her desperate attempts: wasted.

_Oh, shut up, you stupid girl_, she scolded herself. _It was just a crush. _Getting over Finn Hudson never seemed like a challenge, especially for one Quinn Fabray, who continued to strut through the halls of William McKinley High School as if she owned the place, despite her popularity disappearing with her figure. At least Quinn was… Well, she wasn't happy. So, what exactly was Quinn? Independent and fragile?

Rachel hadn't thought about Quinn since she and Finn had broken up, since the illegitimate child had been declared Noah Puckerman's, and since Finn had fallen carelessly into the arms of Rachel Berry. Peace and happiness had enveloped her for weeks, months, since they first started dating. The typical Saturday night date at Breadsticks was always a pleasure, but she noticed all too quickly that she was the one doing all of the talking, she never really asked about his day, always full of herself and her own dilemmas and adventures. It didn't exactly occur to her that she was annoying until it started to show on her boyfriend's face every time she began elaborating on a story he never asked to hear.

It was a Tuesday when they broke up — a lonely, depressing Tuesday.

Finn didn't give Rachel a ride home. In fact, after he had strode away from her locker with little guilt, she hadn't been quite sure how to get home at all. Surely their conversation had lasted long enough that the buses were long gone. On another note, she wouldn't even think of taking the bus anyways.

"Daddy?" she pleaded into her cell phone. For a moment, she couldn't respond when he indicated he had answered, for the lump in her throat was prohibiting all speech. "Um, I need you to come pick me up."

When she explained what had happened, he didn't hesitate to run out the door. He even risked speeding in order to reach her before it was too late. Once the car door closed behind her, she stared into the eyes of her father. "Can you take me to the music store? I want to look around for a while."

A while could have meant days, because this music store had felt like her second home since she had first set foot in it ten years prior. Every chance she got, she meandered through it, leafing through the pages of the fascinating sheet music, sometimes humming — or even singing — a show tune she admired greatly. Something about the store made reality disappear, and she suddenly felt herself on a giant stage, hot spotlights focusing on her.

Inside the store, everything changed.

It began when she browsed through the music books carefully, one in particular catching her interest. Lionel Richie. She smirked, thinking through the words of _Hello_, beginning to remember them all so clearly. From there, it all happened so quickly; the hand pulling the book away from her, a pair of bright blue eyes inspecting her up and down, and the voice that somehow made her melt a bit inside.

On the one hand, Jesse St. James was clearly all too full of himself to really care how she felt. Something about his constant, subtle compliments about himself appeared to be an enjoyable habit of his. But on the other hand, he took an interest in Rachel, something most people never did — or clearly displayed, with the exception of Jacob Ben Israel. She shuddered for a moment, but continued to listen on.

Within moments, his hands were stroking the keys of the piano. His voice was sweet, soft and sound, _perfect_. It reminded her of warm caramel, if she had to compare it to anything in particular. When she joined in, the lyrics drifting into her mind as if they had been there all along — and she was quite sure they had not been — the people and the décor of the shop seemed to disappear into the walls, and three things were left: Rachel Berry, Jesse St. James, and the piano.

From that moment on, her life had changed.

Rachel fell asleep that night, with earphones blasting a sweet, soft ballad into her brain. The last thing she was consciously aware of were the lyrics,

"_Hello, is it me you're looking for?"_

On Wednesday, she finished her homework in a daze. Glee rehearsal had gone by without her realizing it, and she floated into her room, unable to feel her feet bounce across the carpeted floor into her room. The bed almost sent her right off as she carelessly flounced atop the neatly pressed comforter. Everything important slipped right out of her mind, the only thing left in her memory was his face… and his angelic voice.

The bed vibrated, shaking her from her reverie. She was expecting Kurt or Mercedes to have sent her a text, out of sheer boredom. Instead, she was delightedly surprised by the name that appeared over the message. Her heart fluttered after, she was sure, it had stopped beating entirely.

_I hope you're not busy Friday._

Rachel felt her fingers dance across the phone's keys, her dreamy eyes involuntarily catching any mistakes. _Not anymore._

_I'll be around at 8._

Beside the letter, there was a shape that was posed sideways, but it distinctly stood out to her no matter what angle it was looked at. The heart symbolized everything.

Even after seeing him just one time, and after staying up until nearly midnight exchanging sweet nothings over texts, Rachel was convinced she had just found her everything. _Finn who? _She thought bitterly, erasing all memories of her classmate. They were replaced with Lionel Richie's lyrics, Jesse's voice portraying them, and the scene of the music store.

Thursday, a terrifying surprise awaited her as she strut into the choir room. No one said a word, and instead, Will Schuester took in her appearance carefully. "Rachel," he asked in all seriousness, "can I talk to you in my office?"

"Am I in trouble?"

It frightened her that he didn't answer the question. He closed the door behind her as silently as possible, spinning around to stare at her. "Are the rumors true?"

Naturally, she could only play stupid, only to protect herself and Jesse. "I don't know. What rumors are you talking — "

"_Don't_," he warned, slapping his palms against his desk. "You and Jesse St. James from Vocal Adrenaline; are the rumors true?"

Rachel felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. Who could have possibly given her away? "Who told you? And just so we're aware, I'm not really denying those rumors." She thrust out her chin defiantly, then added, "But I'm not saying they're true, either."

"I had a quick word with Ms. Corcoran. Ms. Corcoran happens to be the director of Vocal Adrenaline. To answer your question from earlier, you aren't in any trouble."

She blinked, wondering how Ms. Corcoran herself knew about the secret relationship. "Then… why did you want to talk to me? Don't think you can tell me who I can and can't date, either. You aren't my — "

"I wanted to talk to you to ask a favor, Rachel." He glanced up at her anxious expression before continuing, "How opposed are you to being a spy?"

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_Let's keep those reviews coming! =)_


	3. Fall For You

**A/N: **This chapter isn't great in my opinion; it's probably my least favorite, and was definitely hardest to get through. So, I don't mind if you have some constructive criticism. Next chapter, we get to get into Jesse's mind a little bit, and find out his whole take. On another note, Microsoft Word is threatening to make me pay lots of money in 15 days if I want to continue use, so I don't know what will happen in 15 days. Hopefully, I will be able to just simply re-trial or something, then continue writing. Be ready for this story to have a week-ish hiatus if such happens so I can figure it all out. I refuse to toss this story aside, no matter what Microsoft Word tells me, so no worries. Just a warning ahead of time.

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**2. Fall For You**

Rachel attempted to repeat Will's last word, but choked on it. _Spy_. Her instantly dried throat wouldn't allow her to speak it aloud. Deep within her mind, something shattered. An image of Jesse, innocent and smirking, floated through her brain. In that quick flash, he had been unknowing of what she was told to do, how she was being instructed to take him down.

"Mr. Schuester, I — "

Will shook his head. He forced an encouraging smile, but it wasn't enough to keep her from looking distraught. "Rachel, I know the only reason Jesse has taken interest in you is to do the same."

She gaped at him, unable to muster up the courage to speak; many came to her mind at that time. "That's not true, I know it! I don't care what anyone else in there — " She carelessly flailed her arm in a gesture that addressed the rest of the glee club. " — has told you. What we have is something special. Chemistry, I think. If you can't handle the fact that I'm dating the competition, well, then I guess you'll have to figure that out for yourself. I will be perfectly clear when I say I am _not _going to spy for you."

Two days time: She was now standing on the stage at Carmel High School. Everything had gone by in such a haze that she really didn't remember how she got there, or why she had even agreed to follow Schuester's orders. There was no one in sight, from her standpoint. But suddenly, heels clicked against the cement backstage, and a dark figure appeared, heightened by her loud shoes.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, a small dose of venom in her voice.

Rachel sucked in a deep breath. She had spent the previous night rehearsing what she would say to Ms. Corcoran once they encountered one another. "I would like to join your glee club."

The high-pitched squeal of a sound caused the younger girl to jump, afraid that some creature had been stabbed with the sharp heels. Much to her surprise, it had only been a laugh. "What would incline you to say that?"

"I transferred to Carmel just this morning." As much as she wished it had been a lie, the truth was escaping her lips. She sniffled weakly, picturing everyone from New Directions. Will had set everything up; he had taken her down to discuss such matters with the principle of Carmel, explaining to him that Ms. Berry was too fed up with McKinley, and that her standards could only be fulfilled at Carmel. The pudgy, balding man had simply smiled, taking in the compliment with a quiet chuckle. And that was that, Rachel had completed the hardest (surprisingly) step of the transfer process.

Shelby Corcoran looked at her indifferently, as if she were just a fragment of hair on a comb. "You honestly thought it would that easy? And let me get this straight, you transferred to this school only to join Vocal Adrenaline?"

Rachel nodded. "That was the plan. You see I've been in love with show choir my entire life, from the days of my early childhood to… well, now. Ms. Corcoran, watching Vocal Adrenaline has inspired me, since I first ever saw one of your performances in Sectionals, about three years ago. There was one boy — he had the lead — who stood out to me, and I realized I wanted to be just like him. Of course, a girl, but you know what I mean — "

"I'm going to stop you right there," Shelby intervened. "Jesse St. James has been one of the most dedicated students in this club's history. I'm sure _anyone _would give _anything _to be in his place, but I hate to say that you can't just show up and expect a spot. It takes a lot of hard word to consecutively win at Regionals and Nationals."

Taking in the words was hard, but she knew it was still going according to plan. Until, that is, the door burst open and another figure joined them.

"Shelby?" His voice was warm and inviting, and even in the dim lighting, she could clearly see a pearly white smile illuminating his facial expression. "I need to talk to you about — "

"Jesse!" Rachel cut him off, noticing he had been completely oblivious to her presence until that moment. "I have something to tell you," she informed him with a wide smile.

He didn't return it at first. Shock seemed to set in, and he glanced at his choir director with a hint of questioning in his eyes. Then, he turned back to her and smiled. "Rachel, I have good news — "

"So do I." The second interruption seemed to disturb him less than the first, but his smile still faltered a bit. "I transferred to Carmel."

And in an instant, it was completely gone. His eyes flickered back to Shelby, who had been standing still all this time looking stern. The two seemed to exchange a wordless conversation, Jesse's eyes blinking very few times. Finally, Rachel intervened, "So, what was your news?"

He remained silent, considering how to tell her what was on his mind. "I — I transferred to McKinley."

Now she empathized with him, the way his heart had sunk. Here was the part that was _not _part of the plan. Did Schuester know what had happened yet? Surely Jesse had already joined New Directions, for it would be much easier than Rachel joining Vocal Adrenaline.

Rachel had been trapped in her own thoughts for what felt like hours, despite only being minutes. She hadn't even noticed that they had been left alone, only to face one another in an uncomfortably drawling silence. "So… What do we do now? We're — we're back to where we started." A few tears lingered in the corner of her eye.

"Then we try," he replied gently, reaching out for her hand.

Immediately, her thoughts returned to the task at hand, as they always did when she thought of Jesse. Will ought to know the news by now, oughtn't he? Oh, she could only hope. Somehow, as she stood with her pale hand grasping that of Jesse's, she knew that her plan had failed before it had even really begun. But she wouldn't leave now, she wouldn't back out. She would figure it out — she always did.

"It might be hard," Jesse continued, "but why not try?"

Rachel smiled up at him; then, she was wrapped in his embrace, feeling small against his surprisingly muscular arms. She held her breath, deep in thought. Finally, she inhaled deeply, bringing the scent of his cologne in with the oxygen. After a moment's silence, she opened her mouth to say something, but he spoke instead, and the words left her absolutely speechless.

"I'd never do anything to hurt you."

Did he mean it, she wondered with a slight twinge of fear. Somewhere, there had to be a lie etched in his voice, whether it was undetectable now or not. If he kept his word, if he never hurt her, than that would make everything that much harder, considering how he made her feel.

She had given Will Schuester her word, promising that she would be a spy, that she would respond only to him. Now, though, as she sank into his arms further still, she was beginning to doubt herself. She would love to be accepted by New Directions, and she knew that such a dream would come true as long as she succeeded.

By the look on Jesse's face, he was only happy to have reached out to her and express his true feelings. Little did she know that deep down, his mind only cared about how easy he would be able to sabotage New Directions himself. Victory also crossed his mind, because Rachel had joined Vocal Adrenaline, the best possible benefit for the group.

Even with Rachel Berry standing before him, her perfection nearly knocking him sideways, he knew exactly how he was going to attack her former club, and she wasn't going to like it. With that thought put aside, though, he knew that one day they would be together. All that mattered was finishing what he had started, right?

What really should have mattered was finishing it before Rachel did.

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**Note: **I don't plan on going into detail that Jesse is a spy. He is. Same as the actual show. And next chapter will explain what he is planning. I didn't originally plan that tidbit to happen, but I think I could make it work.

_Reviews would make a lovely holiday gift from you to me. Thanks!_


	4. My Heart

**A/N: **Happy New Year! Sorry I wasn't able to update this sooner, just trying to get everything organized. Oh, and some good news for the safety of this story: my computer let everything stay and I can still write. So, that means — as long as I'm in a good, inspired mood — more frequent updates than what I originally expected. Um, I think that's about it. This chapter was kind of hard to write, because I'm eager to get into the "secret romance" aspect. And now you may enjoy! Thanks so much for the reviews, etc. They mean a lot, and they keep this story going.

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**4. My Heart**

He drew the thick blanket and thin sheets from over his pillow, but hesitated before climbing into the bed. His heartbeat quickened when Rachel suddenly entered his mind; he noticed this to be a recurring pattern whenever he thought of her.

Why did Shelby pick him? Why couldn't Sebastian be the spy? The boy was not quite as responsible, but he was definitely willing to do anything to be accepted, and he was clever, sly, probably a professional backstabber… But he couldn't stand to lose Rachel, not after the week and a half that he had spent with her. She was his counterpart, his other half, the best thing that could possibly happen to him besides a fourth win at Regionals. Somehow, he was glad he had been chosen. Of course, that also meant he was going to hurt the one he was almost positive he loved.

He suddenly thought of what Gisele had said: "Love is blind, don't let it consume you." On the one hand, she had only been bitter because she had just gotten out of a terrible relationship, but then again, it was also a very true statement from his own experiences.

"What the hell am I doing?" he asked himself. Instead of crawling into the warm bed, he reached for his keys off the nightstand and fled the house as silently as possible.

It was Sunday, and he knew he had to get up early for school, but he was nowhere near ready to sleep, not with all of the thoughts jumbled in his mind. He had no planned destination, but he sped down the road, going straight, not daring to take any turns.

Perhaps he could convince Shelby to let him off easy, and maybe she would pick someone else to do this task. There ought to be someone better suited for it, right? No, no, there honestly wasn't. No one was as close to their director as he was, and she had done so much for him — he was bound to have to repay her eventually.

There was nothing he could do to take it back now. Whether he wanted to or not, he was going to have to finish what he had started. At least he had come up with a diversion now that Rachel was well out of his grasp.

The next afternoon, when he entered the choir room, everyone was sitting, dazed, gazing at Mr. Schuester with different expressions: Some were utterly horrified, others were rather smug, and the look on Quinn Fabray's face was almost victorious. Everyone looked to him when he entered. Finn was the most stunned, it appeared, as his face was more purple than its normal tan.

"This is all _your _fault!" Finn jabbed his finger into Jesse's chest when they were close enough.

Instead of fighting back, he shrugged. "So, I take it you heard the news about Rachel?" He took a seat beside Quinn, who finally looked a bit angrier.

"Honestly," she piped up after a long moment's silence, "I think we're better off without her. We can win Regionals just as easily. Besides, we have St. James now."

_Three consecutive wins, all thanks to him. _He smiled at the thought, but felt an overwhelming longing when he realized the fourth would not be for Vocal Adrenaline. It would still be all thanks to him, but the circumstances were much different. While all eyes gazed at him hopefully, he did his best to smile, but there were no words he could compose to answer the looks.

The uncomfortable silence that followed quickly ended when Will interrupted with discussing songs for the week, something he wasn't too interested in. His thoughts — of Rachel — made his stomach ache. He gripped it with agony, praying no one was watching him.

Jesse was beginning to lose hope, beginning to think time had slowed down so everyone could watch him writhe on the floor in pain; finally, though, the bell signaled the end of class and he knew where to go immediately.

As he entered the auditorium, he half expected Shelby to be speaking with a student, or continuing to lecture the freshmen who always managed to screw something up. Instead, she was resting her head in her hands on her desk, every so often inhaling, but very rarely exhaling, it seemed.

"I don't think I can do it." He almost regretted breaking the silence when she didn't respond for the longest moment.

She refused to look up at him. "You have to," she commanded, "for the benefit of Vocal Adrenaline. You know that, Jesse, so don't give up on me now."

"But, Rachel — "

"You don't think she's doing the same thing? I know she's a spy."

He almost choked on his words before spitting them out. "H-how do you know? Sh-she can't be. No, she can't be. If she is, then why would you keep her around?"

Shelby refused to answer. She simply gazed at the desk once again. "It will be better for both me and her if you simply do what I asked, and don't get involved. In fact, it'd be best if you two don't see each other anymore at all. You're each other's competition; nothing is going to change that."

He opened his mouth to protest, but sighed in defeat and closed it. There was nothing he could do or say to make her change her mind, but that didn't mean he would give up on Rachel so easily. No, he _needed _her, as melodramatic as it sounded. He refused to let her go, but Shelby needn't know what he had up his sleeve. "I have a plan, actually." Changing the subject appeared to spark her interest a bit more. "With Rachel gone, and the rest of New Directions plotting my death, I was thinking I could somehow warm them up to me. It was the original plan, wasn't it? Now, we just have other people to deal with."

"You want to make every member of that club trust you?"

He didn't care about how he would go about doing it. His thoughts were more focused on talking to Rachel the moment he got out of there. "Yeah," he concluded, "I do." He began to walk toward the exit, but spun around to face her. "Starting with Quinn Fabray." When the door slammed shut, he wanted to slap himself. _Fabray? _Somehow, the name slipped out. Of course, it was a lie. Why did he say it? Everything was a lie, and he was done with lies. From now on, he wouldn't lie — but that didn't mean he wouldn't have his secrets.

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_Reviews are everything!_


	5. So Contagious

**Please don't kill me. Honestly, I don't know why I let my entire fanfiction slip away from me. I feel awful for all this waiting everyone's had to do and my excuses could never be enough. Anyways, if you didn't notice already, I erased 79 stories from my account. These stories either weren't getting as much attention as I would have liked, they were dead to me, or I didn't feel like showed off the better side of my writing abilities. Alas, I have the six I intend to focus on along with some that I feel deserve to be uploaded at some point in time. On that note, I'm an entirely new person, and I am going to re-introduce myself.**

**Hi, everyone, my name is Courtney and I'm a fanfiction author. Here we are, in the Glee fandom, where my favorite ship happens to be St. Berry. I will write about them to my heart's content, and no one is stopping so. **

**Without further ado, read on. (Also, I apologize in advance for the lack of length and lack of interesting details of this chapter, but I simply wrote it to get back into the habit of writing.)**

**Also... if you would be so kind and review? :)**

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**So Contagious**

Rachel cupped her palm around her cheek as she stared longingly at the door. She knew he was coming, she knew he would walk through that door any minute now… "Can I get you a refill?" The waitress had appeared silently, now waiting with a pitcher of iced tea. She simply nodded, her eyes fixed on the entrance.

It was twenty minutes past eight, and over a half hour later than the time they had intended to meet. She refused to order food, afraid that he would be offended if she did; not only that, she was also afraid that he wouldn't show up at all. Finally, though, four iced teas later, he glided through the doors with a smug smile on his face. When their eyes met, she knew she wouldn't be able to stay mad at him.

"Sorry I'm late." The waitress appeared just as he came. "I'm fine with water," he replied to her unasked question. When she disappeared, the smile faded, and his deep blue eyes held something of despair. "We need to talk, Rachel, about us."

Those were the few words a woman never wanted to hear from her boyfriend. "I know what that means, and I — "

"It's not what you think. Shel — I mean, Schuester — told me that we couldn't see each other anymore. Said he didn't want to risk it. I guess I can see where he's coming from, but that doesn't mean we have to listen, does it?"

She blinked rapidly, allowing the words to sink in. "So, you're not breaking up with me?"

Surprisingly, Jesse chuckled, loud enough for the couple behind them to halt their conversation. "Of course not! I would never… I — I really like you, Rachel." _No more lies. _"Ever since we first met. People said things, and I was a bit hesitant, but when I heard you sing _Don't Rain On My Parade _at Sectionals, I knew they were wrong."

Her heartbeat increased, but she kept her face serious. "Mr. Schue will kill you if he finds out. This isn't the best idea, I mean, I doubt Ms. Corcoran would appreciate it if we were dating either."

Jesse appeared to be choosing his words carefully, for he sat perfectly still with a perplexed expression carved into his face. Finally, he said, "No one ever knows. If we don't make it public, no one ever finds out. If we don't tell anyone, or do anything to make anyone question our relationship, then no one will ever know. In a few months, I'll be graduating, and then things will be much easier. I promise."

He reached across the table for her hand, and she smiled uneasily, hoping with every ounce of hope inside of her, that he was right, that he would keep his promise, that everything would work out. Guilt hit both of them when their hands were intertwined, for they both knew they had to set their priorities straight. This was the perfect opportunity to succeed in spying, to get all of the information necessary for the opposite team.

Rachel refused to talk about anything related to glee club during their meal. Instead, the two focused on topics related to Broadway and show tunes. It was better than any date she had ever been on — not that she'd had many in the past, aside from the tedious meetings with Finn.

On the way out, they were both careful to watch for any peers who could potentially spot them. Both kept a safe distance from the other until they were in the security of the dimly lit parking lot. That's when Jesse brushed her arm with his hand, reaching for her own. She did her best to hide her radiant smile as they walked in silence.

It seemed impossible with everything on her mind, but Rachel felt truly peaceful as they rode home, letting the sound of the radio distract her from anything that disrupted the serenity of being alone with Jesse. There was no way any _spy mission _or any _competition _could get in the way of their love; she was determined to prove it not only to Schuester, but also to herself.

"Rachel," Jesse asked, touching her lightly on the arm. The touch sent chills up her spine, and she wasn't afraid to admit she rather liked it. "You want me to come in or — "

"Yes!" she replied immediately, hopping out of the vehicle a bit too eagerly. She almost stumbled over when getting out, barely refraining from falling by grabbing the door. She did her best to ignore the snicker from the driver's side.

She fumbled with the lock on the door when they managed to make it up to the porch. No lights were on; he was the only guide she had. "My dads aren't home, so we'll be alone."

Unfortunately, she was unable to see his wink in the darkness. Finally, they stumbled in the door, and, without turning on the lights, made their way to the living room.

Rachel kept her head down, doing her best not to look him in the eye. If she did, she would lose all control, she would melt, and her dads would come home to a mess of Rachel to clean up. Instead, she firmly placed her hands on her knees, squeezing them to keep them steady, and stared down at the floor. She had no idea what he was doing — most likely just sitting there casually, his hair ruffled from the wind, a careless smirk across his face… She _had _to stop thinking about him. It was too much.

"Rachel," he murmured, reaching out a hand to brush back a strand of her hair.

_Damn it_, she cursed to herself, but she wouldn't fight back anymore. She adjusted herself so she was facing him, nearly on top of him. He was surprised for a moment, but when she pressed her lips to his, he simply let her. For a moment they sat there, barely moving, until she pulled away, a smile playing at her mouth.

Jesse had closed his eyes; he seemed to barely notice she had pulled away, until he finally shot them open and stared at her in wonder. "Rachel, I — "

They both froze when they heard someone fumbling with the locks. "Shit." Rachel moved quickly, standing up and smoothing down her skirt. "Upstairs, down the hall to your left, the last door is my bathroom. The window should already be cracked. There's a cover over the patio. Jump, get down, and run."

He had already started making his way up the stairs, her not too far behind. "Why can't I hide in your room?" he asked, his voice desiring to have more of her than just that small kiss.

"That's the first place they'll check," she whispered. The front door had opened, but now they were both in her bathroom, the door locked.

Before he did anything, he moved across the tile floor to her, pushing her less than gently against the door. She hesitated for a moment upon hearing voices, but suddenly, he was kissing her and she never felt so relieved to have him there. Her hands wound themselves through his hair, pulling him closer, until he forced himself to fall back. "We can do this," he promised. "Trust me."

With that, he hoisted himself up to the small window, squeezing his thin frame through, and then disappeared into the night, leaving her breathless against the door.


End file.
